When people meet me they often ask about the kind of paranormal experiences others have had. Even those who are sceptical to the point of mockery about all aspects of the supernatural are keen to learn what others believe they have encountered.

As human beings we are instinctively curious about the world around it – it is perhaps the defining feature which took us from dwelling in the trees to living in cities. It seems more than likely that civilization would never have developed had the first modern humans peered out of their caves and asked what was beyond the forest. Curiosity, in short, is a key aspect of humanity.

It is hard-wired into our psyche. If we are alone in a room with a big red button and we are told not to press it, our minds naturally begin to race with questions about what would happen if we did – the allure of new knowledge is always tempting.

With that said of course, there will always be non-believers, sceptics and cynics who will not be satisfied that the supernatural exists until they encounter it themselves.

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This “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude is good, and allows us to have a healthy debate about the paranormal.

Some stories of encounters with the otherworldly come from obscure locations where the haunting appears to be a one-off. There will be one incident, or a short burst of them, where something happens and then nothing will happen again. Other areas have, sometimes very well-earned, reputations for hosting quite active hauntings.

This week’s encounter comes from one of the latter examples, the Albion pub in Longton, and took place in 1991.

The pub has long been a popular place for a pint, game of pool and to enjoy a good night out. And so it was for Stuart, who told me about his encounter for this week’s Supernatural Staffordshire.

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"For a small pub it had lots of character and atmosphere - I always enjoyed a weekend at the Albion" He told me.

Now 48-years-old Stuart used to work at a local pot bank and would visit the pub on Friday afternoons when the staff worked a half day – and was aware of the pub’s reputation as a popular haunt for more than just the living.

He said: “It was a weekly thing and my friends and I would call in to the pub after work on Friday to play a few games of pool and a pint before we went home.

“I had heard about many ghost stories to do with the Albion but we never took them seriously. We used to regularly joke about one of us having an encounter of our own while in for a pint but none of us believed in ghosts to be frank.”

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He said: "The figure of a man walked behind me but he was dressed in an old army outfit like a Cavalier.

“As if that wasn't strange enough he was also walking with the bottom half of his legs inside the ground."

Stuart froze in fear at the sight of the figure.

The pot bank worker added: "I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

“It was broad daylight and what appeared to be a ghost was walking right behind me and he passed me so closely I didn't know what to do."

As soon as the entity had completely disappeared a visibly shaken Stuart returned to his friends – but did not mention his encounter for fear of being ridiculed.

"One or two people were asking what was wrong with me they said that I looked visibly shaken and that I had gone all white - I think one of them even joked I look like I have seen a ghost." explained Stuart.